Afghan Govt Formation: Infighting In Taliban Over Division Of Power, Says Report
The argument broke out as Afghanistan's new deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was unhappy about the structure of their interim government.
New Delhi: After forming a new government in Afghanistan, infighting has been registered in the Taliban cabinet, according to a report by BBC. The row erupted over the power division in the Taliban cabinet and the structure of the group’s new government.
According to the BBC report, the argument broke out as Afghanistan's new deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was unhappy about the structure of their interim government.
One Taliban source told BBC Pashto that Baradar and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani - the minister for refugees and a prominent figure within the militant Haqqani network - had exchanged strong words, as their followers brawled with each other nearby.
The incident was also confirmed to the BBC by a senior Taliban member based in Qatar.
The infighting also occurred between two factions over who in the Taliban should take credit for their victory in Afghanistan.
Baradar reportedly believes that the emphasis should be placed on diplomacy carried out by people like him, while members of the Haqqani group - which is run by one of the most senior Taliban figures - and their backers say it was achieved through fighting, reported BBC.
It is to be noted that Baradar was the first Taliban leader to communicate directly with a US president, having a telephone conversation with Donald Trump in 2020. Before that, he signed the Doha agreement on the withdrawal of US troops on behalf of the Taliban.